Celtic Fans Reflect on ‘Shameful’ Club AGM as Tempers Boil Over After ‘Bullies’ Accusation

Celtic have not had their troubles to seek this season so far but things have now seemingly gone from bad to worse.

The squad were in danger of dropping more points on Saturday away at St Mirren before captain Callum McGregor’s stoppage time wonder-strike dragged them out of a hole.

That would have been seven wins from 12 had the skipper not saved his side’s bacon. Hearts are title contenders this term and have led the division for a number of months, albeit they are beginning to tail off a bit as expected.

It means Celts now have their chance to claw back the points they have squandered and the lead they surrendered. But as Martin O’Neill wins matches as interim boss, there is trouble brewing off the field.

The club held their annual general meeting on Friday morning and what seemed to be a record number of shareholders turned out to hold their board members’ feet to the fire.

But that, instead, blew up in their faces as the AGM was adjourned after less than 30 minutes in total of interaction from those in charge. The fans in attendance were livid from the start and the custodians were booed onto the stage with a red card protest also in effect.

Chairman Peter Lawwell did not take too kindly to that and adjourned the meeting to “calm everyone down” before they walked back onto the stage a short time later. Did that work? What do you think?

The support were, by this point, baying for blood and were not in the mood to hear from the traditional video clips from the club’s PR team speaking with the board members rather than the serious questions punters had locked and loaded.

Then came the most tone deaf moment from the AGM when Ross Desmond – son of Celtic’s leading shareholder Dermot – poured gasoline on the fire by branding some sections of the support “bullies” and claiming they only seek to be “anti-establishment” and take advantage of the “good name” of Celtic Football Club.

It was an incredible moment and showed a serious lack of self awareness from the billionaire’s son who may well have been rhyming off a statement written by his old man himself.

Fans were ready to go scorched earth before Lawwell closed the meeting and ended the chance of any Q&A session at all. No accountability, then, and away they went.

It had to be seen to be believed and social media was awash with clips of Desmond reading from his notes and then Lawwell ending the meeting.

But what were the fans saying? Have they called for change? What can be done? FootballBlog takes a look at exactly what went down from the supporters’ standpoint, according to social media.

Celtic fans fume as AGM cut short

Celtic fans were livid, as expected, and took to the likes of X as well as other platforms to make their feelings known.

Needless to say, most of their anger was directed at Messrs Lawwell and Desmond for their handling of the situation and the decision to walk out on the paying customer who deserved an opportunity to grill those in charge.

One wrote: “A Ratner moment today at the AGM, a bullies statement read out by an entitled son. Slagging off your customers and admitting you have no ambition or vision to improve the clubs European aspirations highlights why these out of touch charletans need chased from our club.”

Another commented: “Ross Desmond’s utter diatribe at the current feeling among Celtic fans was unbelievable. If he’s our future we’re f***ed.”

One wrote: “Never witnessed such unprofessional, inappropriate meeting in my life. So much to dissect however Ross Desmond’s rant was an utterly astonishing jaw on the floor moment and the chair allowed it. The room snapped when he began insulting the support.”

Another added: “The Celtic AGM has just been ended 60 minutes early by Peter Lawwell. No time for questions and an awful look for the board. Surely time for protests to be escalated now?”

One said: “This is absolutely ridiculous- the protests have to continue at every game from now until the end of the season. Not another penny.”

Someone else accused chief executive Michael Nicholson of staying quiet: “Another day of our CEO not saying a single word. Fans took time off work and other commitments to attend the #ticAGM today. We deserved answers. It was clear the plan was to avoid having to give us any.”

Ross Desmond’s statement in full

“Our model is far from perfect but for the most part it has served this club well over the past 20 years. So we will not be bullied by aggressive or rational factions. We will not be railroaded by those whose only vocation in life is to be anti-establishment and by those who try to degrade the club.

“Our focus is on all matters, improving this club step by step, systematically, without ever risking a future. Improving recruitment, investing in data analytics, upgrading facilities, enhancing the stadium and trying to make Celtic stronger in every way.

“Criticism and advice are welcome and are the right of every supporter but some of what we have seen recently is not constructive, it is destructive and cynical. All it does is strengthen our resolve to protect the integrity and stability of Celtic Football Club.

“Our board led by Peter and our executive led by Michael are dedicated Celtic people. The attempts to dehumanise and vilify them are shameful. These are people with families, they love the club every bit as much as anyone here and when we are not performing they suffer just as much as anyone.

“They work tirelessly, often under intense pressure. They do an outstanding job at this club and we are very lucky to have them. Let me start by dispensing with the absurd caricature some people spread about my father and state some of his Celtic credentials. He’s a passionate and lifelong Celtic supporter.

“He first put money into Celtic more than 30 years ago when Fergus McCann asked him for help. He became the principal shareholder when Fergus sold out and took on the responsibility that came with that. He wants the club to be healthy, successful and still thriving decades and even centuries from now.

“The board shares those desires and that’s why the board respects financial reality. We act prudently, not recklessly. Those who accuse the club of hoarding cash or being in it for the money display a deep misunderstanding of financial responsibility.

“The board is a duty of care to the shareholders, to the supporters and to the future of this club. We don’t declare dividends to distribute surplus cash to ordinary shareholders as many other businesses do. Cash is retained and used to sustain and develop our club.

“As Chris (McKay) explained in the video, Celtic must maintain strong reserves and contingencies to protect against unforeseen circumstances. That financial strength is what gives us independence, stability and the ability to make our own decisions and not to be beholden to anyone else.

“Those who talk about the club not having kicked on in Europe since 2003 ignore the enormous change in the management landscape of football in that period. It has created a gap which keeps growing. It has created a gap which keeps growing and challenges any club to make us more European league. Most supporters understand that.

“Of course clubs can still punch above their financial weight and we should aspire to that. But if you swing and miss, you risk the very stability of the club and that would be profoundly irresponsible.

“The financial independence of this club was jeopardised in the mid-1990s and we must never allow ourselves to fall into that position again. We constantly strive to improve, to become more competitive, to go deeper into Europe and there is no doubt we get things wrong when we make mistakes.

“Of course we are not blind to our shortcomings. We can communicate better, we can recruit better, we can compete better but we will do it responsibly, sustainably and always in the best interest of Celtic.

“Celtic was founded as a club open to all and we have a tradition of having the greatest fans in the world. We must now protect that reputation that was created over generations.”

Where do Celtic go from here?

Celtic fans have already protested before matches including one away to Kilmarnock where they entered the stadium late to show their importance as the 12th man.

Silent protests were also planned but were shelved as a show of good faith from the punters before a meeting with the hierarchy. That did not go well at the time and the silence could potentially be revisited.

Celtic supporters also vowed not to spend any more cash on food at the stadium, merchandise or other items of that nature in a bid to hurt the board in their pocket. That will also likely continue with fed-up fans unhappy with how they have been treated.

Ultras also boycotted a massive Rangers clash, although some were found to have been given tickets by other sections despite a ban in place for some.